Cancer Genes Decoded For First Time

Breakthrough view into cancer's genetic roots promises new battle realm

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 6, 2008 2:10 AM CST

(Newser) – Scientists have unlocked cancer's genetic blueprint for the first time, the New York Times reports. Working with cells from a woman who died of leukemia, they decoded her entire DNA sequence and zeroed in on ten mutations that occurred only in the cancerous cells. Researchers say the breakthrough could someday yield powerful new tools to diagnose and treat cancer.

The whole-genome study, made possible by advances in DNA technology, pinpointed genes never before associated with cancer. Previous cancer studies had only examined small sections of DNA sequences. Within years, a single drop of a patient's blood could give doctors enough information to choose the most effective drugs, said the lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature.

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A lab officer cuts a DNA fragment under UV light from an agarose gel for DNA sequencing as part of research to determine genetic mutation in a blood cancer patient. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

The decoding of a leukemia victim's DNA could lead to routine genetic screening for cancer, researchers say. (Index Stock)

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This is the first of many of these whole cancer genomes to be sequenced. They’ll give us a whole bunch of clues about what’s going on in the DNA when cancer
starts to bloom. - Richard K. Wilson, director of the Genome Sequencing Center

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Cancer Genes Decoded For First Time